A “Fan Fiction” Based on the Harry Potter Series By J. K. Rowling
Chapter 11 “Theology
Please Read & Review, it makes for better stories! Thank you.
A/N: An important note: There is a dialogue toward the end of the chapter dealing with Christian vs. Wizarding “Theology”. Please remember as you read it that this is fiction. No insults were intended.
Tiernan’s apology
Marge jumped when Tiernan spoke, but she was not sure if her surprise was due to her brother-in-law’s sudden appearance or his statement. She chose the former, the latter was just too fantastic to believe, and maybe Tiernan had snuck in without her noticing. Yes, that was it. But her own thoughts did not offer much comfort. Looking to her husband Marge remembered his words to Tiernan the night before, but Liam did not look angry. In fact, Liam had a pensive look, hard to read but definitely not anger. Then he got up and walked over to Tiernan and embraced his brother.
“Tiernan, I’m so sorry. I should have caught on to what you were trying to tell me yesterday.”
“No, Liam, but thank you, it was all my responsibility. I kept putting off the news, thinking you’d realize what was happening with Rudy and me. But I’d forgotten the lesson of my own youth, when no one would understand me for what I was.”
Then turning to Marge, Liam asked her, “What can we do to convince you? This is not a bad situation. Rudy is extraordinarily lucky.”
Marge was still having trouble taking this all in, and stared at the two men, feeling outnumbered.
“Marge, I’m so sorry for the deception the past two months. The wizarding world tries to keep itself separate from your world wherever possible. When one of my co-workers told me they had seen my nephew’s name on the first year class list for Hogwarts I was elated, but I didn’t know how to approach you two. In circumstances such as these, where the parents of a wizard are Muggles...”
“Muggles are non-magical people, like you and me, dear.” Liam added, watching his terribly confused wife.
“Yes, in these situations the Ministry of Magic allows one witch or wizard to orient the family to the situation. I offered as soon as I had confirmed it was Rudy.”
Marge sat back down in her chair and looked like she was processing the information, unsuccessfully processing it, Tiernan determined.
“Marge, I am allowed, as part of the orientation process, to offer you proof of what appears to be an impossible claim. May I give you that proof?”
Marge was wondering what sort of proof Tiernan could offer to convince her of something so totally fantastic and different. So she asked him. “What could you do to prove this? Surely not another coin trick?”
“No, Marge, though I did receive a warning for showing Rudy that spell. May I offer you some tea?” Tiernan took out his wand and pointed to Liam’s desk, and with a faint light shooting from the wand to the desk, a small silver tea service appeared. As if to add something else to the bizarre situation, Tiernan offered, “You might be surprised to know that this same tea service was used to convince your new Prime Minister of our existence just a few months ago. I hope it works for you, too.”
Marge was sure she was dreaming; one of those terribly realistic dreams that leaves you wondering, after waking, if it was real or just in your mind. Looking to her husband with an expression of complete bewilderment, Marge could find no words to speak.
“Marge, it’s alright. It took me a little getting used to when Tiernan first told me about this. In fact, I threw him out of the house.” Looking to his brother they both laughed, remembering that morning. “Tiernan, why don’t you show Hogwarts to Marge, that may help?”
“Yes, splendid idea, brother. Marge, why not grab a slicker and we will pop up to the school? While we’re there I can show you the work Liam did.”
“Go ahead, Marge,” Liam urged again, “I’ll watch the children. Take as much time as you need.” The bewildered woman simply nodded and left to, presumably, retrieve her raincoat. After a few seconds she reappeared, no less confused, but seeming resigned.
Liam went up to her and gave his wife a kiss goodbye. Then Tiernan pulled the same gum trick on Marge he had used on Liam three months prior, and the two disappeared with a POP.
The cool, misty morning light of Northern England shone on Hogwarts as Tiernan and Marge appeared on the north lawn. Dropping the stick of gum and looked around in wonder and awe at a place so completely foreign to her, Marge thought she could feel the magic she had been denying. Beyond the pale sunrise, beyond the towering mountains, beyond the forests and the dreamlike appearance that the fog had created in her mind, the sight of the castle took Marge’s breath away. If all this is true, if there really are wizards and witches, they would be here. Then the sound of a man’s voice brought her out of her dream-like daze and back to reality.
“Marge, are you alright?” Placing his hand on her shoulder, Tiernan knew her thoughts. “You look the way I did when I first saw Hogwarts. It is almost magical in itself.”
“Tiernan, did you know how much Liam loved medieval and gothic architecture when you asked him to work on this?”
“Not at all, he was selected because of his reputation and because he had a wizard in the family who could guide him through the...environment he would be working in.”
Trying to make sense of her feelings, Marge temporized, “He’s only a child, Tiernan. He just turned eleven. How can he...what will he do.” Faltering for words, Marge gave up trying to set up obstacles for her brother-in-law to remove. “You went here?”
“Yes, the most wonderful and educational years of my life. I was lost until that point because I didn’t understand what I was. Hogwarts helped me answer that, as well as who I was. Rudy is a far better adjusted child than I was, and far more secure, for his age. Here he will be with others like himself, taught by teachers who have centuries of experience.”
“I don’t know, Tiernan, this is all so...surreal. I want the best for him, but magic?”
“Would you like a tour of the school?”
Marge felt breathless, almost light headed and dizzy with the proof she was seeing, and feeling, and realizing. “Yes, can Rudy and Liam join us?”
“Certainly, would you like to wait here while I fetch them?” Seeing Marge finally smiling, Tiernan knew that she would consent. Now he just had to make her feel happy about the decision.
“Yes, I will be right here.”
And as she started to sit on the grass Tiernan transformed a small branch on the lawn into a wicker chair. “Try this, you will find it much more comfortable.” And then he was gone.
The Man in the Forest
Percy awoke to cool morning dew and a soggy feeling in his clothes. Outside of the constant annoyance caused by fleas and ticks, it was this daily aggravation that bothered Percy the most; the humid morning air that penetrated everything he owned. Still, he accepted these chastisements and sat up for his usual morning routine. After some stretching and a trip to the pub for a cup of tea Percy headed back to the rocks to wait for Peter. As he approached, seeing Peter in the distance, he had to smile at his awe and wonder of things so commonplace to himself.
Peter was waiting for Percy, sitting atop the outcrop as he had the day before; but this time there was no fear or suspicion on his face. When he saw Percy he waved a friendly, cheering wave, not one the usual grumbled greetings he very seldom received on the canal. For the first time in a long time Percy realized that someone was happy to see him and this gave him a feeling of worth he had not felt in many months.
“Hi Percy.”
“Good morning, Peter, you’re up early for a fellow your age. When I was fourteen I slept in as late as I could.” Thinking back to his fourth year at Hogwarts, as a prefect, Percy revised his statement. “Well, maybe not.”
“I brought you some stuff, Percy. Some granola bars, a bottle of water, and some soap.” Peter looked a little embarrassed by offer the soap but Percy smiled and said,
“Thank you, Peter. Actually, I can clean myself any time I chose; watch.” Setting his tea down, Percy took his wand out and pointing it back toward himself saying “scourgify.” In a matter of seconds Percy, and all he was wearing, were cleansed. His hair, still wet, was combed neatly back, his beard trimmed, coat cleaned and pressed “ as was his trousers, and the dirt on his face and hands had vanished. He also smelled clean, Peter was happy to notice. “There, is that better my friend?”
“Wicked! If I could do that I would not have to take a shower any more!”
Laughing at Peter’s youthful declaration, Percy set down his tea and opened a granola bar. “Well, firsty, what shall we see today?”
“Percy, you called me that yesterday, what’s a ‘firsty?’”
“A ‘firsty’ is what the upperclassmen call the first year students at my old school.”
“The wizard school? Where you learned all this magic?” Again, the wonder in Peter’s eyes that gave Percy a good feeling.
“Yes, at my wizard school. It is called Hogwarts. And no, the school did not teach me magic, it brought it out of me and focused it. A person could attend school there for a lifetime, but if they’re not a wizard or witch they will never be able to do the simplest spells.” Percy noticed the drop in Peter’s face.
“So I could never learn to do magic like you?”
“No, Peter. Wizards can become Muggles, but Muggles cannot become wizards, I am afraid.” Then trying to distract the boy from his sadness, Percy suggested, “Peter, would you like to hear the next story?”
“Oh, ok, sure. Hang on.” Percy could tell that Peter was disappointed by his revelation, but there was nothing he could do except lead Peter through the story as a distraction. Hopping down from the rocks Peter sat on the log next to Percy and waited.
“Peter, today you’re going to see three more parts to The Story In The Runes. But unlike the first story, these are very incomplete and there are long gaps in the tale. Some of these gaps are probably not important, but some of them certainly are. It’s because of these gaps that we have never truly understood what happened between the time Marlin was a boy, like you saw him yesterday, and when he became a man, as you are about to see him. I will try to help you through these gaps, but my understanding of what happened may be very different from reality. Ready?”
Excitement again in his eyes, Peter smiled. “All right, ready.”
With that, Percy placed the tip of his wand to his own temple, just as he did yesterday, and copied the memory for Peter to see. Touching the want to Peter’s temple all went black.
As Peter and Percy began to see recognizable objects, trees, grass, even bugs in the air, Peter could tell that the realism he had experienced yesterday was no longer there. “Peter, this is a part of the story that is deduced rather than known. We are expecting to see Merlin in the forest like yesterday so the modern story writers assumed that we are entering the woods from a non-wooded area. See the path over there; that’s our trail to the story.
Walking along the path and into the woods, Peter noticed many of the same frightening creatures he saw yesterday, but being better prepared today he was not as nervous. The woods were also far less dense than what he saw yesterday, so when he and Percy approached a clearing it was easy to anticipate. The break in the forest was not remarkable, almost like a dell, with no old tree stumps. But there were many people, maybe fifty or sixty, and all but a couple were men or boys. Walking through the crown the two visitors came to the front of the circle of people and saw Merlin seated in the very center.
Merlin was older now, probably in his late teens, though it was difficult to say with certainty. His hair was still long and white and he also had wisps of facial hair that was trying to pass for a beard and mustache. His clothes were off-white, possibly due to the dirt he was forever sitting in. Peter and Percy sat down at the front of the circle and waited.
“People!” Merlin shouted suddenly, startling Peter, “People! What way do you choose today? Will it be the easy path or the difficult path? You must choose, you, the choices you make will define who you are. Who will you follow now?” And everything stopped, froze in place, then the people faded away.
Percy reminded Peter about this being a fragment of the story and how the abrupt finish was the end of the story dealing with a young Merlin. “Everything you see from this point forward will be about Merlin as a magician or miracle worker, but claiming the power to himself, not attributing it to God.”
The people then started to fade back into the memory, as well as Merlin. But now Merlin was older, perhaps as old as thirty. He had the same long white hair, and the same tunic, though dirtier and more worn. Then Merlin spoke, confident, almost cocky in his tone.
“Have you come to see a seer? Have you come to see a sorcerer? Have you come to see a magician? You shall see all these and spread my word.” Then Merlin pointed his hand at a nearby bush and yelled ”incendio”. Percy was not impressed, he never had been. A weak, broad jet of light issued from Merlin’s hand, striking the bush and causing it to smolder for a couple minutes.
“This was the first recorded use of verbal spells in the wizarding world, Peter. Pretty pathetic, eh?” Peter just nodded. “Before Osiris Olivander there were no wands. We’re not sure how it happened, but sometime during their time together the use of wands started. We use wands for many things, one of them is to focus our magic. If Merlin had used a wand that bush would be in flames now, not just smoldering.”
Then pointing to a spot near Merlin’s feet, Percy said, “See that, Peter, that is Merlin’s book, I will come back to that after we are done, but it is important. Now keep watching.”
Turning back to Merlin, Peter heard, “Friends, bring me your sick and I will heal them bring me your animals and I will bless them with health and abundance.” Again the scene shifted to Merlin touching sheep and goats, pigs, cattle. Many of the animals showed no change, some had wounds healed, but others appeared to change into an entirely different creature; a horse became a unicorn, a boy became a satyr, a bear turns into a troll. On and on the wizard created magical creatures or helped the common ones.
“Peter, as you watch this you will see Merlin creating an entirely new world from these creatures, the world of wizards. Much of this is derived, the actual story only tells us about a few of the magical creatures, we just assume that the rest sprung from the whim of Merlin. Now, this part of the story is almost over.”
Finally finished, Merlin spreads out his arms over the mass of humans and other animals and tells them, “Go, return to the places you came from and live in harmony with nature and each other. When I call for you to join me, you will know what to do.”
Then Peter found himself back with Percy by the rocks. “That was kind-of weird, Percy, it didn’t make much sense.” Peter had a skeptical look plastered on his face, as if he had been cheated out of something. “Do you believe in all those creatures he created?”
“Peter, not only do I believe in them, I’ve seen many of them. They are a part of our world. Did you like the dragons?”
“They were awesome; I would like to see one of those!”
“There aren’t many left in the world, and they are carefully protected in a few preserves far from Muggles. My brother Charlie worked with dragons in Romania until he died.” Percy paused for a moment, remembering his jealousy at Charlie for having the courage to face dragons.
“What happened to your brother, Percy? Did a dragon kill him?”
“No, Peter, he died in a battle last April.”
“Like a war?”
Thinking for a moment whether he should let Peter in on this story, Percy hung his head for a long minute and decided to say the truth. “Yes, Peter, we were in a terrible war against a very evil wizard. We won in the end, but I lost two brothers and many, many other friends, including a girl I loved. That is why I am out here now…”
Percy had never talked to anyone about this but he found the word just flowed out of his mouth. “...I had a job to protect Charlie, and another brother, Bill. I froze with fear instead of helping them. They were under attack from a large number of Death…of the enemy. They could only protect themselves so much, I was supposed to shield them, but I failed and they died. Even today I don’t know how I survived, or why. But I never had the courage to go home to my remaining three brothers and sister, and forget my parents…”
Percy found himself shaking and tears welling up in his eyes. Even though he had relived the events of that day a thousand times he had never told anyone the story, being too ashamed at his performance. Sitting silently for a minute he was touched by Peter’s concern and self-control. Most boys his age would talk and ask questions, Peter let him grieve, but finally he said, “My older brother died last year in a wreck on the M1, he was really stupid and was drinking. He killed himself and four people in another car, an entire family. I was mad at him for making me and my little brother sad; mom cried for weeks. But it’s better now.”
“I am sorry, Peter.” Patting him on the back, and then trying to drop the subject of dead brothers, Percy started talking about the stories again.
“Anyway, that is all we have for the first four stories. They’re very inadequate and many people wonder why they were even included with the other eight stories.”
“Why were they?”
“Probably because it is the only written record of Merlin’s early life. It shows he first appeared as a child gifted in speech. The other three fragments deal with his creation of magical creatures, the exhortation to live peacefully together, and his insistence that people choose him or something easier. Now, what is missing from these last three fragments that were in the first one?”
Peter looked thoughtful and after a moment gave Percy the answer: “In the first story Merlin sounded like he was working for God, in the last three he sounded like he was God.”
“Pretty good, Peter. But you need to understand, and this is very important, we wizards have never believed Merlin was like the Christian Jesus, a God. This is a delicate area for Wizarding Theology because displaying power as Merlin’s implies supernatural authority. Until Merlin, the world was divided into only two basic types of religion: monotheistic, like the Jewish and Christian faiths, monotheistic means one God; and polytheistic which means many gods. Those are like the Roman and Greek gods and most of the eastern religions. Merlin did not really fit into either.”
Standing to stretch his legs, Percy thought for a moment then continued. “He obviously wasn’t a god because he died and was never seen again, but the powers he had, and the world he created couldn’t have been created by any ordinary human. So when Merlin appears we have a dilemma; he’s either god-like or not, and we do not like to believe that second possibility.”
“You think he got his powers from the devil?” Peter asked.
How many times have I heard that question? Percy thought before answering. “Peter, our belief is, no, Merlin was not created by the devil, or given his powers from the devil.” How can I explain this? “Do you see the dilemma Wizarding Theology faces, Peter? Let me show it to you like this.” Taking a tattered pad of paper from his backpack, Percy magically expanded it and started writing with his wand.
“First, we believe, as do the Christian and Jewish and Muslim faiths, in the one God and a counterpart know as Satan, the devil. We also believe that Merlin is not God, but that he had god-like powers. Also, when Merlin first appeared he made appeals to follow Jesus, or his teachings, but later changed. We also believe that Merlin did ‘bad’ things, such as killing those who did not believe in his word or later, altering humans. But the final belief that defined us then, and defines us now, is that the powers Merlin exhibited originated from a time in his life when he proclaimed Jesus as God; the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths believe Merlin gained his powers after renouncing Jesus, in other words, he gained the powers from a non-Divine, or even demonic source. Until it can be proven that our powers come from the one God it will always be thought to have come from someone or something other than God, and reconciliation will be impossible.”
Seeing the look on Peter’s face, Percy asked, “Now, have I completely confused you?”
Peter was trying to absorb this “theology” and not look stupid to Percy, but he had so many questions he did not know where to start. “I guess it makes some sense, but I am glad it won’t be a subject in my school. What are the other eight stories about? Are they better than these?”
“Well, the next four are much longer and easier to follow; they are true tales spanning years and historic events, like King Arthur. They deal with Merlin as an adult with a family; his children play a pivotal role the history of magic. I forget their names but I can look them up if you like. The last story of these four, story 8, tells about the breakup of Merlin’s family and his death around 459 A.D.” Watching Peter for a reaction, and getting it, Percy was again impressed with the boy’s intelligence.
“He was over one hundred and fifty years old? Well, I guess that could be, some of those people in the bible lived to be six hundred years old.”
“Well, I think it’s unlikely that either is true, though wizards do live much longer than Muggles, usually about fifty years longer.”
“Is it because of their magic?”
“Not directly, it’s due more to the way we administer preventive health care and deal with emergencies. For example, our healers can repair a shattered bone without surgery, or stop an infection before it spreads. We’ve been able to do that almost since the time of Merlin. It took our wizard leaders almost fifteen hundred years to share with Muggles the secrets of penicillin. It is rather a disgraceful story, to be honest, and has more to do with trying to keep Muggles weak and non-threatening, they “ you “ outnumber us almost a thousand to one. I am not a healer, but there are always rumors about other powerful cures or inoculations we could share with Muggles, but none of them seem to ever come through.”
“And finally, the last four books in The Story In The Runes are a collection of spells, potions, curses, that sort of thing; more a reference guide than actual stories.” Percy had talked more today than he had in months and was ready for a lighter subject. “Peter, I’m ready for a break. Are you getting hungry?”
“I am always hungry, Percy”
“Alright then, head off to the pub, shall we? My treat.”
“Sure, and they might even let you in now that you do not stink.” Both laughed, and headed off to the pub.
“Arthur, I must see you immediately.” Kingsley Shacklebolt’s face was a dark green image in Arthur Weasley’s fireplace and his deep, rich voice resonated in the office.
“Certainly, come right up.” Arthur was hoping it was not another Death Eater spotting, and even if it was why would Shacklebolt want to tell me about it?
Less than a minute later, Shacklebolt walked into Arthur’s office and closed the door behind him. “Arthur, sit down...we think we’ve located Percy.”
Harry found a brief note in his office mail box Wednesday.
Dear Harry,
Sorry I have not been by to see your place.
Just wanted to let you know that Fluffy died. Me and Fang buried him near Aragog.
Yours,
Hagrid